49 teachers transferred backChandigarh, February 11Rescinding its decision, the Haryana Government has initiated the process of undoing its move of rationalising the teaching staff strength of private colleges.

One killed, 16 hurt in mishapAmbala, February 11One person was killed and 16 others were injured when a CTU bus collided with a truck coming from Lalru side on Ambala-Chandigarh road near Saddopur barrier today evening.

6 Haryana officers shiftedChandigarh, February 11The Haryana Government has given additional charge to three IAS officers with immediate effect, while three police officers have been issued transfer and posting orders.

Attack on Capt Kanwaljit
condemnedAmbala, February 11The Shiromani Akali Dal, Haryana, has condemned the attack on the former Finance Minister and MLA, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, during the “rasta roko
aandolan”.

College to be built in Kalpana’s memoryKarnal, February 11
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, here today announced that sincere efforts would be made set up a to medical college at Karnal, to be named after India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

Roads to religious places to be metalledKurukshetra, February 11
The Haryana Government has decided that all roads leading to religious places in the state would be metalled. Besides, all chaupals in the state would be repaired on a priority basis.

4 get life term in murder caseHisar, February 11A local court sentenced four persons to life imprisonment yesterday and imposed a fine of Rs 500 each on them on the charge of murdering two persons.

Stories from Haryana towns falling in the
National Capital Region are put in NCR Tribune.

HUDA to build shopping complexKurukshetra, February 11The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has decided to construct a commercial shopping complex at a cost of Rs 50 lakh on the site of the old tehsil office complex here over 3.5 acres of land.

Kisan mela from March 16Hisar, February 11The two-day annual kisan mela of Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) would be organised on March 16 and 17 at the varsity’s research farm.

Farm varsity
festival from February 19Hisar, February 11 Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) here will host the fourth All-India Inter-State Agricultural University youth festival from February 19 to February 22.

Chandigarh, February 11
Rescinding its decision, the Haryana Government has initiated the process of undoing its move of rationalising the teaching staff strength of private colleges.
Forty-nine lecturers were transferred to other colleges as a result of the state government’s drive to rationalise the teaching staff of private colleges. It has been decided now to send these teachers back to their old institutions. While orders to this affect were issued for 22 lecturers today, the remaining 27 would be also gradually reinstated in the college from where he/she was working before transfer, official sources said.

The sources said these teachers were transferred from November 1, 2001, onwards after the state government carried out an exercise to assess the workload of teachers in private colleges. Shortly before that, classes XI and XII were shifted to schools from colleges and in view of this move, it was felt that some of the teachers did not have adequate work. Finally, 49 lecturers of various disciplines from private colleges all over the state were transferred to other colleges. Colleges from where lecturers were transferred include GMN College, Ambala
Cantt (6), D N College, Hisar (7), GGDSD College, Palwal (2), and Hindu Girls College, Sonepat (3).

While some of these teachers went and joined at their new places of posting, others approached the court to challenge the state government decision. Six teachers from the GMN College at Ambala
Cantt, who were among the first lecturers to have been transferred, went to the court first. Representations were also made by them to higher officials here for reconsideration of the government’s decision.

It is learnt that the government has revoked its policy as it has realised that it would be hard to justify the step in the court. Since the state government bears 95 per cent of the expenditure of these private colleges, it can curtail the grant-in-aid paid as salaries to the teachers found surplus in the colleges. But it cannot transfer the staff of a privately managed college. Moreover, there is no common cadre for private colleges and when a lecturer from one private college is shifted to another one, the lecturer is placed at the bottom of seniority of staff in that college. Sources added that the lecturers were being brought back on two grounds: First, vacancies were created following retirement of teachers and second, it was found that the existing workload in the colleges concerned justified the move. A reassessment of the workload in the colleges was carried out last year and it was found that these teachers could be accommodated in the same places where they had worked earlier.

The move has been welcomed by teachers’ organisations. Mr Pawan Kumar Sharma, president of the Haryana College Teachers Union, met the Higher Education Commissioner, Mr Dhanpat Singh, yesterday and expressed his happiness at the government’s decision regarding the 49 lecturers, the sources said.

Ambala, February 11
One person was killed and 16 others were injured when a CTU bus collided with a truck coming from Lalru side on Ambala-Chandigarh road near Saddopur barrier today evening.

Two of the seriously injured passengers were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, while the remaining injured passengers were admitted in local civil hospital. According to information the bus was badly damaged. A pedestrian, Om Prakash who was waiting for the bus near Saddopur barrier was killed in the accident. Another pedestrian Lok Bahadur also sustained serious injuries.

According to information the Chief Minister, Haryana, had to cross from this road at around 5.45 p.m. That is why the police constables in sufficient number were already present there. The Superintendent of Police, Mr Hardeep Singh Doon, and DSP Uday Shankar rushed to the spot immediately after the accident.

Mr Doon arranged three ambulances to transport the injured to hospital and a crane were also brought to shift the vehicles from the main road.

The police sources said the truck driver was already involved in another accident in the Punjab area. The police registered a case against the truck driver and arrested him.

Chandigarh, February 11
The Haryana Government has given additional charge to three IAS officers with immediate effect, while three police officers have been issued transfer and posting orders.

Mr Bhaskar Chatterjee, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning, Tourism and Archives and Archaeology has been given the additional charge of Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Cultural Affairs, relieving Mr R.R. Banswal of the charge.

Mr R.R. Banswal Commissioner and Secretary Cultural Affairs (Designate) and Commissioner, Rohtak division, has been posted as Director and Special Secretary Archaeology and Commissioner, Rohtak Division, Rohtak, in addition relieving Mrs Navraj Sandhu of the charge of Director and Special Secretary, Archaeology.

Mr Sumita Misra Singh, Chief Executive Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board, has been given the additional charge of Administrator, CADA, Panchkula, Vice Mr Dalip Singh who has proceeded on leave.

The Haryana Government has also issued transfer and posting orders of three police officers, including one IPS officer, with immediate effect.

Mr Balbir Singh on return from the Chandigarh Administration has been posted as Superintendent of Police Telecom, against a vacant post.

Mr Prem Chand Saini on promotion has been posted as Deputy Superintendent of Police CID, against a vacant, post.

Mr Hukam Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, in the office of the Director-General of Police, Flying Squad Panchkula, has been posted as Deputy Superintendent of Police, 1st
Battalion Haryana Armed Police, Ambala, against a vacant post.

Ambala, February 11
The Shiromani Akali Dal, Haryana, has condemned the attack on the former Finance Minister and MLA, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, during the “rasta roko
aandolan”.

The president of the Haryana SAD, Mr Sukhdev Singh
Gobindgarh, general secretary, Mr Ranbir Singh Fauji, Mr Amarjit Singh
Sidhu, Mr Surender Singh Khalsa and Mr Bhopal Singh Bhanokheri, senior leaders of the party, demanded the government to hold a judicial probe into the incident.

Mr Fauji said the Haryana SAD had summoned its state executive meeting at Kurukshetra on February 22 in which besides this issue the issue of SYL canal construction and rationalisation policy of Haryana Government would be discussed.

Karnal, February 11
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, here today announced that sincere efforts would be made set up a to medical college at Karnal, to be named after India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

The Government Polytechnic at Ambala would also be named after her as a tribute to this courageous daughter of Haryana, who lost her life in the recent unfortunate crash of the US space shuttle Columbia.

The Chief Minister said this while paying homage to Kalpana Chawla at a condolence meeting organised here today. He said he would personally take up the matter for expediting the sanction of the medical college with the Central government.

Mr Chautala also announced that a “Kalpana Chawla Memorial Gold Medal” would be awarded to the girl student of the state who secured the maximum marks in Class-X examination, conducted by the Board of School Education, Haryana. Besides, five monthly commemorative scholarships for a duration of four years each would be awarded to those girl students of all 31 engineering colleges in the state who obtain maximum marks in the combined competitive examination.

Mr Chautala exhorted people to be proud of their daughters as they, too, could reach heights of glory attained by Kalpana Chawla. He expressed concern over the menace of female foeticide. To check this problem, the state government had introduced an ambitious scheme titled “Devirupak” to maintain balance in the sex ratio.

The Union Minister of State for Home, Mr I.D.Swami, also paid tributes to Kalpana Chawla on the occasion.

Earlier, Mr Chautala redressed grievances of 119 panchayats of the Indiri constituency during the third phase of “Sarkar Aapke Dwar” at Indiri, about 20 km from Karnal.

Making a special mention of the works to be done in Indiri town, he said all street lights would be repaired and the entire sewerage system would be strengthened. The Chief Minister announced development works worth about Rs 4 crore for the villages of the Indiri constituency.

Kurukshetra, February 11
The Haryana Government has decided that all roads leading to religious places in the state would be metalled. Besides, all chaupals in the state would be repaired on a priority basis.

This was stated here today by Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala while presiding over the third phase of “Sarkar Apke Dwar” programme at Pipli, where he heard problems of residents of the Thanesar constituency comprising 86 villages, 23 wards of Kurukshetra city besides 17 wards of Ladwa town.

Mr Chautala said the government would provide liberal financial assistance to the village panchayats for executing various development works. He said old and small transformers would be changed according to requirements. All electric wires passing over the government land and residential areas were being removed so that accidents could be minimised. All roads were being repaired on a priority basis and encroachments on common land, municipal and panchayat land would be removed. All phirnies would also be made pucca, he said.

Mr Chautala accorded his approval for the construction of phirnies at Salarpur, Ban, Bani, Bir Pipli and Kishangarh villages. He also sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each for the pavement of streets for Bapdi and Bhudha villages. The Chief Minister announced that a planetarium would be set up at Kurukshetra. Besides, a “virat roop” idol of Lord Krishna would be installed on the banks of the holy Braham Sarovar.

Hisar, February 11
A local court sentenced four persons to life imprisonment yesterday and imposed a fine of Rs 500 each on them on the charge of murdering two persons.

According to the prosecution, Daya Ram,
Rohtash, Madan Lal and Hans Raj, all residents of Chuli Bagrian village, had murdered two brothers Ashok Kumar and Rohtash of the same village with sharp-edged weapons two years ago. After the murder, they threw their bodies in the fields. There was a land dispute among them. The Sadar police had registered a case against seven persons in this connection. The court had acquitted Devi Lal, Vidha Dhar and Chander from the charges in the case last week.

Kurukshetra, February 11
The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has decided to construct a commercial shopping complex at a cost of Rs 50 lakh on the site of the old tehsil office complex here over 3.5 acres of land. The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, is likely to lay the foundation stone of this complex shortly.

Stating this while presiding over a meeting convened to chalk out a plan for the construction of the commercial complex, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Abhilaksh Likhi, said the piece of land on which the old tehsil office complex had been constructed, belonged to the
Haryana Revenue Department and it had now been allotted to HUDA. Keeping in view the importance of the site and other aspects, HUDA had decided to develop the multi-purpose commercial complex on it, he added.

Mr Likhi said after the completion of the second railway overbridge on the Pipli-Pehowa road and four-laning of the railway road, it would add to the importance of the complex.

Sirsa, February 11
The CIA police of the district has arrested a miscreant involved in a petrol station dacoity five years ago. According to information given by the district police chief, Mr A. S. Ahalawat, here today, about Rs 12 lakh was looted at gun-point from the petrol station of Dholpalia in Ellenabad district on April 2, 1998, by two motor cycle riders who had come to the petrol station for purchasing petrol.

A case was filed under section 392 of the IPC against the unidentified persons. After investigation on June 19, 1998, the police arrested Sula Singh of Sadul Shahar and Net Ram of
Sangaria, who were granted bail but Sula Singh had been absconding since then. Yesterday evening, the police succeeded in arresting him after five years.

Hisar, February 11
Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) here will host the fourth All-India Inter-State Agricultural University youth festival from February 19 to February 22. Mr Viney Kumar, vice-chancellor of the university said here today.

He said teams from 38 agricultural universities and research institutions would take part in this four-day festival and competitions in literary, fine arts, dance and music would be organised.